Chapter 12
Approaching Geonosis, they are using the asteroid ring near Geonosis to hide the Naboo starship from any lurking Trade Federation fleet.
Breaking the atmosphere, Padme brought the ship down low, skimming the surface, weaving through the sky line for some kind of signs.
" See those columns of steam straight ahead? They are exhaust vents of some types." Anakin asked pointing straight in front of them.
" That will do." Padme agreed, and then she banked the ship.
Padme brought the ship right into one steam cloud and slid her down, gently through the vent.
When they had settled on firm ground, Padme and Anakin prepared to leave the ship.
" Look, whatever happens out there, follow my lead, I'm not interested in getting into a war here, as a member of the Senate, maybe I can find a diplomatic solution to this mess." Anakin told her.
The only thing that Padme could do was nod her head.
" Trust me on this?" Anakin added because he saw the pain on her face.
" Don't worry, I have given up trying to argue with you." Padme said, she made herself grin.
Then headed for the landing ramp, R2 gave a plaintive wail.
" Stay with the ship." Anakin entrusted R2.
They went out into the underground complex, and recognized almost immediately that they had entered a huge droid factory.
After fighting with the wing creatures they were captured by an armored rocket man.
They were taken to a conference room where they came face to face with Count Dooku.
After five minutes they were taken in front of the Geonosian courtroom and they were found guilty of espionage.
" Do you have anything to say before your sentence is carried out?" Archduke Poggle the Lesser asked.
" You are committing an act of war, Archduke, I hope you are prepared for the consequences." Anakin stared the Geonosian straight in the eye.
" We build weapons, Senator. That is our business! Of course we are prepared!" the Geonosian chuckled.
" Get on with it! Carry out the sentence. I want to see him suffer." came the voice of Nute Gunray from the side.
" Your other Jedi friend is waiting for you, Senator. Take them to the arena!" Archduke Poggle the Lesser announced, and he waved to the guards.
Anakin and Padme were unceremoniously thrown into the cart that was waiting for them, they strapped in place against the frame work, face each other.
" I love you." Anakin said.
" And I love you too." Padme said.
They leaned forward as far as they could and they began to kiss each other.
When they enter the arena, they saw four sturdy posts in the center of the area, and they each had chains hanging from them, and one of the posts was a familiar figure.
" Obi-Wan!" Padme cried out, as she was pulled down from the cart, dragged over and chained to the post beside her Master.
" I was beginning to wonder if you had gotten my message." Obi-Wan replied.
" I retransmitted your message just as you requested, Master. Then we decided to come and rescue you." Padme explained.
" Good job!" Obi-Wan reply with a quick and sarcastic tone.
" The felons before you have been convicted of espionage against the Sovereign System of Geonosis. Their sentence of death is to be carried out in this arena immediately!" announced the lackey Sun Fac.
There was a wild cheering deafened the doomed trio.
After fight off the three creatures long enough to free themselves from their chains.
Obi-Wan was doing his best to run away from the Ackley and he was also looking for any kind of weapon he could use against the creature.
Padme was working frantically trying to escape the Nexu, somehow the felinelike creature swiping it's paw towards her and slashed at her back and putting deep cuts into her back.
Before the Nexu could attack Padme again Anakin trampled the creature with the Reek that he was riding on.
After picking up Obi-Wan they were trampling over the animal keepers and guards that were coming to surround them.
Count Dooku motion for the droid army and the droidekas roll out from the side of the Paddock.
They surrounded the Reek and then the three prisoners, opened and unfolded into their battle position.
Before they knew it hundreds of Jedi Knights ignited their lightsabers.
Then the raging battle began, the Jedi against the Separatist Droid Army and the flying Geonosians.
Padme and Anakin grabbed an Orray and they bounce across the fallen droids and Geonosians, Anakin firing shot after shot and Padme sending an even, greater line of destruction out by turning aside all shots coming their way.
" You call this diplomacy?" Padme said deflecting blasts.
" No, I call it aggressive negotiations!" Anakin grinned and shouted back.
Ten minutes later all the Jedi that were still alive, were surrounded by more droids, and that was when they realized they were defeated and there was no escape for them.
" Look!" Anakin raised his head to the sky above and shouted.
All eyes turned up to see half a dozen gunships fast descending upon the arena, screaming down in a dusty cloud about the Jedi . Clone Troopers rushed out of their open sides as they touched down.
Yoda appeared in the drop doors of one of the gunship, offering a salute to Mace and the others.
" Jedi move!" Mace called out, and the survivors rushed to the nearest gunships, and scrambling on board.
The gunships that carried Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme went after Count Dooku.
The followed Count Dooku to a large tower, Padme and Anakin, found him standing at the control panel working some instruments.
" You are going to pay for all the Jedi you killed today, Dooku!" Padme yelled at him, moving in determinedly, again she felt the tug of a determined Obi-Wan, holding her back.
" We move in together, you slowly on the . . . " Obi-Wan started to explained.
" No! Am taking him now!" Padme pulled away and charged ahead.
" Padme, no!" Obi-Wan yelled out as he watched his Padawan run ahead of him.
The first one to go down was Obi-Wan when Dooku's lightsaber stabbed through his right shoulder and then cut into his leg and that was when he went down.
Padme turned to her fallen Master and wasn't paying attention and a huge cylinder came out from nowhere and hit in the back of the head and sent her flying across the floor to were Obi-Wan laid.
Anakin came into the room and saw the two Jedi laying in a heap on the floor.
Raising his blaster he shot at Dooku, who in turn reflected the shots, and then he began coming after the Senator.
Padme came to just in time to see Dooku's saber swing towards Anakin and saw the saber not slice through the blaster but it sliced through Anakin's arm.
Yoda began to fight Dooku, only to let him go so he could save the two Jedi and Senator.
Padme got up and ran to Anakin and pulled him into her arms and just held him.
Then they got onto the gunship and headed back to Coruscant and the medical center at the Jedi Temple.
*(pages from the book Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones – by R.A. Salvatore)